How warm is that bologna sandwich and yogurt you pack for your preschooler every morning?

More than 90 percent of foods packed in lunches for children ages 3 to 5 years probably are kept
at unsafe temperatures and pose serious health risks, according to a recent study published in the
journal
Pediatrics. Researchers looked at food stored at Texas preschools and child-care centers
and found that the typical lunch temperature was 62 degrees.

Perishable foods that are stored between 40 degrees and 140 degrees for more than two hours are
unsafe, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.“Bacteria grow very rapidly in that danger
zone,” said Linnette Goard, a food-safety specialist at Ohio State University. “With preschool-age
children, there’s an even higher risk of food-borne-illness outbreaks because their immune systems
aren’t fully developed.”< /p>

Parents should take precautions to keep foods safe, said Michael Thiel, an inspector with
Columbus Public Health who visits schools and child-care centers.

Thiel recommends using an insulated lunch box that contains at least one large ice pack. In the
Texas study, 40 percent of lunches included no ice.“Or, to play it safe, you could seek out
ready-to-eat foods that don’t need to stay cold and still create a balanced meal for your child,”
Thiel said.

All lunches served in pre-kindergarten programs must meet federal guidelines for nutritional
content, even if they’re brought from home. There are no guidelines, however, for storing packed
lunches.

Children’s Castle EduCare in Hilliard doesn’t have a kitchen, so all students bring food from
home. However, parents must use insulated lunch boxes that contain at least one large ice pack.

“We’ve had this policy since day one, and it’s very important,” said Sheri Lee, the school’s
director. “A brown bag isn’t going to keep anything cold, and we don’t have enough fridge space for
everyone.”

Some schools say they have room in refrigerators for packed food. Others, such as Gardner School
in Dublin, don’t allow students to bring sack lunches because of allergy risks.“But I’m sure in
other schools without a kitchen, where most students have to pack, the heat can make safely storing
lunches a nightmare,” said Trish Edwards, the school’s director.The University of Texas researchers
have expanded their study to test how well lunch boxes maintain adequately low temperatures.
Researcher Margaret Briley, a nutritional scientist, said she and others are analyzing the findings
and hope to publish soon.

“We are in hopes we can tell parents not only the problem but the best solution we could find in
the marketplace,” Briley said in an email.